Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[whateve]

Ooo, I think I just answered my own question! Next time, I'll be sure to do a bit more research before buying (or posting questions)! Seems BOTH are really NOT good ideas. Guess ill stick with Apple! Though, if anyone has any suggestions, I'm open to reading! Otherwise I'll just return both tins.

I've never used saddle soap and I've heard some bad things about it. Most conditioners clean as they condition so you don't need a separate cleaner usually. I have used mink oil but only on very old dry vintage bags, not to maintain bags that are already in pretty good shape.

 

[JOODLZ]

I just wanted to share my newly-acquired knowledge about caring for exotic bags with my fellow Coach rehabbers, in case the information is useful to anyone.

I won a Parker Exotics Small Flap Bag 13417 on a charity auction site. It isn't vintage because it was released in 2009, it is secondhand but new to me. I had to wait a week to receive the bag from the auction house, so I took advantage of the time to research the care, cleaning, and storage of exotic skin bags.

FYI, many "snakeskin" and "croc" and "ostrich" bags are not genuine exotic bags. Most Coach snake, croc, and ostrich bags and are actually embossed, leather print bags - and that is true of many other exotic designer bags, too. But Coach has made some genuine exotics and the creed legend will tell you what the bag is made from.

If your bag is made of an authentic exotic skin then it will need special care and handling. The Parker bag that I won is genuine Karung snakeskin from SE Asia and the bag was made in Italy.

I spent a lot of time on the Bottega Veneta, CL, Channel, and Hermes forums to learn about caring for exotic bags. The most popular product recommendation from many experts, including Docride on Hermes, was to use DYO Reptile Conditioner on your exotic bags.

I had a couple of ebay bucks buring a hole in my pocket so I bought a 4 oz bottle of DYO. It acturally arrived sooner than the bag, but I guess that was a good thing!

When I got the bag was in very good condition but it felt kind of dry and it looked a bit dull. Happily none of the scales had lifted or started peeling. It seems that smaller-scaled Karung snakeskin is much sturdier than the more popular Python that has larger scales and has a tendency to lift and peel.

My research taught me that there are a few things that are very bad for exotic bags - heat, drying out, dust, waterspots, and brushing the scales the wrong way! (Snakes hate that, always be sure to brush your snake in the right direction!)

Beside feeling a bit dry and rough, the only problem with my new bag was that there were 2 dark lines on the top of the bag where the hardware rings had rested against the bag in storage.

It didn't look dusty but I took a new soft toothbrush right out of the package and used it to brush down, alway in the right direction. Then I used a soft, clean dry cloth (an old t-shirt) to rub in small amounts of DYO, immediately wiping off the excess with the cloth. After it dried I used a clean soft cloth to burnish the surface of the bag.

I am happy to report that DYO immediately removed the dark lines caused by the hardware rings, and it made the entire bag look and feel soft and shiny.

Right now the bag is securely stored in a dustbag (away from the heat, dust, and water - and absolutely no one is brushing it the wrong way!) And I have the metal rings and strap wrapped in tissue to protect the snakeskin leather. When I have time I may coat the hardware rings with Diamond Glaze to prevent them from discoloring the snakeskin leather again.

See the pics below for pics of my new Parker Karung Snakeskin bag!
http://forum.purseblog.com/coach/my-most-exotic-expensive-coach-bag-reveal-modeling-827804.html

WOWZA! Congratulations on your wonderful find! Isn't it a shame that the prettiest little bags are so delicate? I'd want to have her with me every day! Hope you have lots of special occasions to wear this beauty!

 

[JOODLZ]

Wow! Nice job!

I've been following this forum as I have 2 Coach bags that seriously needs rehab!

I've been hearing about the soilove! It's for fabric, right?

Also, it's the green one?

How did you clean the leather strap.. with dawn?

Thanks...Yes, this is the Soilove I use. It has given me good results on Coach fabrics (outside and linings) and sometimes on leather too. On leather, sometimes the stains, particularly ink, are too old and really set in. On the Multi-Stripe bag, the white leather was nearly immaculate to begin with, so I gently scrubbed it with a toothbrush while in a warm, sudsy Dawn bath.

Good luck with your upcoming rehabs...it's a good idea to have "before" pictures so you can see your results...and share them with all of us. And don't hesitate to ask lots of questions. That's what we're here for.

 

[katev]

WOWZA! Congratulations on your wonderful find! Isn't it a shame that the prettiest little bags are so delicate? I'd want to have her with me every day! Hope you have lots of special occasions to wear this beauty!

Thank you, I have too many pretty little delicate special occassions and not enough special occasions to use them all!

But this one is really special. When I saw that it was rosegold, parker, and made in Italy out of genuine snakeskin; I couldn't help myself!

 

[netlawyer]

Hello Ladies, I have more care questions Has anyone ever used Mink Oil or Saddle Soap (Kiwi brand) on their Coach bags? Both say for use on "smooth leather", so I was thinking of applying to my Parker, Zoe, & Alexa. I conditioned them w Apple brand conditioner a couple months ago & it helped a lot (thanks for that advice!) but they're looking a bit grungy lately. I picked up Saddle Soap (2 for 1 sale; got Mink Oil, too) but figured I'd check w the real experts before I try anything. FYI: Parker & Zoe are both black leather & Alexa is bronze leather. Any advice or opinions would be GREATLY appreciated. TIA!

I've never used saddle soap and I've heard some bad things about it. Most conditioners clean as they condition so you don't need a separate cleaner usually. I have used mink oil but only on very old dry vintage bags, not to maintain bags that are already in pretty good shape.

I am a fan of both saddle soap and mink oil for vintage bags, but +1 on it not being right for your bags.

I use saddle soap to surface clean my unlined vintage bags when they get a bath. I know a lot of people like using various kinds of dish soap when they wash their bags, but I have two thoughts on that (1) I am concerned about not being able to rinse the soap out completely and (2) dish soap isn't really soap, it is detergent which cleans differently than a fatty acid soap. Dish soap is particularly designed to remove oil. It never made sense to me to wash a leather bag in detergent any more than you would wash your skin with detergent.

That being said, saddle soap isn't going to be appropriate for your newer bags, if you think about what kind of leather saddles are made of vs bronze leather, say - big difference. Definitely stick with a cleaning conditioner for those.

Same deal with mink oil - it is a life saver for old dry vintage bags, but it can change the color of the leather and it may leave a coating on the bag. The Kiwi mink oil contains silicone to promote water resistance. I use it on boots and shoes. I use Fiebings mink oil on purses as it doesn't contain silicone. Unless you are treating a bag to take backwoods, I wouldn't use mink oil on a newer bag either.

 

[netlawyer]

Has anyone rehabbed one these fabric totes? I especially want to get into a bath and get the leather trim and piping straightened out. I figure I can use acrylic paint on the orange piping - but wanted to get others' experience before I took the plunge, as it were.

 

[netlawyer]

What we are looking for is a thick edge coating. One that will either go on thick or at least build up thickly. When a piece of thick plastic-like edge coating breaks off, it leaves a gap, a deep gap that is impossible to fill in with edge kote. It is the raw edge of the leather at the bottom of the gap. In small gaps I've used glue as a filler, but I need something better when the gap is larger. Basically, we would like to buy a product that produces the same results as the factory edge coating......know what I mean?

Got it - you are looking for these kind of edges, not just sealing the raw leather edges. Edgekote definitely will not do that. I know people will use some kind of putty and similar things to fill holes in the piping when the corners of a bag wear through, interested to see suggestions.

 

[katev]

It seems that you need to replace essential oils to maintain snakeskin products. There are a few other popular products mentioned on TPF but DYO Reptile Conditioner seems to be a general favorite.

Use it in a well-ventilated area; it has a strong smell but it disappears pretty quickly.

Here's a link with information about caring for exotic bags, including vintage bags. They recommend DYO or just regular Apple conditioner. I have some Apple but I bought the DYO because it is specifically for exotic skins and it was recommended by many TPFers.
http://www.exoticskinhandbags.com/#!__handbag-care

Good luck with your rehabs, show us pics of your exotics!

I should have said that although I like a lot of the exotc care and maintenance information on this site; I DON'T agree with the recommendation to use Meltonian shoe polish to freshen colors!

 

[mzmir]

Thanks...Yes, this is the Soilove I use. It has given me good results on Coach fabrics (outside and linings) and sometimes on leather too. On leather, sometimes the stains, particularly ink, are too old and really set in. On the Multi-Stripe bag, the white leather was nearly immaculate to begin with, so I gently scrubbed it with a toothbrush while in a warm, sudsy Dawn bath.

Good luck with your upcoming rehabs...it's a good idea to have "before" pictures so you can see your results...and share them with all of us. And don't hesitate to ask lots of questions. That's what we're here for.

Thank you!!! I already have it on hand! Woot!

I think I'll post a photo here so I could get some feedback on how to go about it since I'm scared to do this...

I have seen people give "baths" to their bags and, oh my, they look back in their original shape!! My bag has sagged & I would looooove to stiffen it up! It's canvas though...

 

[redgater]

Got it - you are looking for these kind of edges, not just sealing the raw leather edges. Edgekote definitely will not do that. I know people will use some kind of putty and similar things to fill holes in the piping when the corners of a bag wear through, interested to see suggestions.

I also have this issue! I thought edge coat would do it but like you said, the gaps are deep when these heavily coated strap edges have areas that lose their coating.. What exactly do people use to do this? You mentioned a putty??It needs to be flexible so it won't break when bending.. Since it is for a strap.

 

[Suzanne B.]

A leather shop may know what kind of edge coating we are looking for. Unfortunately, there's not one anywhere near me. If there's one near any of y'all, maybe if you stop in and show them exactly what we are trying to buy, maybe they can help.

 

[Suzanne B.]

Hey! Has anyone ever used Dura Edge by Fiebing? Is this possibly what we are looking for?

http://shop.fiebing.com/c/leathercraft_edge-finishes_dura-edge



Here is an edge coat that is described as thick, but it's a bare bones website. No other information on the product or a price....but it does sound like what we may be looking for.

http://leathercoatings.com/edge.htm

And finally, here's the plastic dip stuff mentioned earlier, you can get it in a variety of forms.....probably would work, comes in clear and black and you can make a custom color too.
http://www.plastidip.com/home_solutions/Plasti_Dip

 

[redgater]

I'm wondering about 100 percent silicone you would use for waterproof caulk like in a shower...it dries very rubbery...

 

[Suzanne B.]

I'm wondering about 100 percent silicone you would use for waterproof caulk like in a shower...it dries very rubbery...

Hmmmm, sounds like a good possiblity.

 

[redgater]

I was the one that mentioned plastidip. I put on a coat last night ...it sealed the edge and coated it but had no thickness or body for building up... Yet. I'm trying another coat tonight. Perhaps it will build after that first coat. Once I mentioned the silicone caulk, I started thinking about hot glue. I use hot glue on the back of throw rugs to give them a rubbery surface so they don't slip. hot glue builds up and is quite flexible. that would be an option maybe I will try that on the purse I don't care about! I will investigate duraedge also! ThNks